[Music] Hello, I'm Jamila Musayeva, an international
social etiquette consultant and the author of the book, Etiquette: The Least You Need To Know.
One of my Instagram followers has suggested that I do a video on handbag etiquette, so
this video is devoted exactly to that. In today's video, we're going to
look at different kinds of bags, how to hold them, and where to place them. We'll
also explore the choice of bag for Queen Elizabeth and how she uses it to communicate with her aides.
We'll take a look at how I keep my bag organized and, finally, what I carry every day in my
bag. So make sure you stay tuned until the end of this video. Don't forget to subscribe to
my channel, leave a like, and comment. [Music] Now, let's go to my wardrobe and take a look at
different kinds of bags and how to hold them. Welcome to my wardrobe, and let's look at
the different types of bags that I have. I'm going to show you how to wear and hold them.
Let's start with the bag that I use the most, since I'm a mother of two kids
and whenever I'm running around, I need to carry a lot of things with me. This
is something called a tote bag, also known as a shopping bag. It can have a definite or
indefinite shape, has long straps, and is quite voluminous. It has a lot of space inside,
is very lightweight, and is easy to carry baby clothing. It's also great for traveling.
So, this is the bag that I use the most and I would recommend for any busy mom
to get a tote bag or a shopping bag. Now, how to wear this bag? You
can wear it over your shoulder, but when you're wearing it over your shoulder,
make sure that there aren't any people around you. When you're in a crowded place, such as an airport
or getting in and out of a plane when traveling, make sure you carry the bag in your hand
in order to avoid crashing into anyone or hitting anyone with your back, which often happens
when you're carrying it over your shoulder. Another bag that I use quite a lot as well when
going for a walk or running errands is a backpack. As the name suggests, a backpack is a bag that
is meant to be worn on your back. This is great when you have bottles of water to carry with you
or you're going hiking, or you're just busy and need your arms to be free. It has two straps that
you put over both of your shoulders and helps you to distribute the weight evenly. It's great when
you're carrying a lot of heavy items with you. The way you would carry a backpack is by placing the
straps over the back of your shoulders, like this. And carry it like that, or if it's lightweight,
you can just carry it over one of your shoulders like this. Another type of bag that is great for
busy people, the ones that love taking long walks, is a bag that's called the belt bag. It's
also known as a fanny pack and has become trendy lately as well. It could be used
as an accessory to accentuate your waist, and you would carry it around your
waist like this. It's quite small, but it can keep all your important items in it,
like your phone, your wallet, and your documents, and always have them at your side
while still having your hands free. The bag that I prefer to carry to work as well
as to any kind of casual lunch or dinner meeting is a shoulder bag. Usually, they come in a
very definite shape, but they could also have an irregular shape as well, and they have
long straps like this. It's meant to be worn over your shoulder. An important item
to remember is that the straps could be long, but they could also be shorter, and you could
still put those straps around your shoulder. If you are carrying this bag, make sure you
always place it on your left shoulder like this. Sometimes, the bags that have smaller straps
like that could be left on your forearm, and your fingers are facing upwards like that, so
you could carry this bag like this as well. But whatever you choose to place it, make
sure that you place it on your left hand, thus leaving your right hand free
for a wave or for a handshake. Another style of bag that has become quite
popular these days is a crossbody bag. As the name suggests, it should be worn across
your body. This is the one that I have, but it can come in different shapes. They don't usually
come in a very large size. As the name suggests, the crossbody bags are meant to be worn
across your body like this. [Music] The best part about this bag is that your hands
are free, your documents are at your side, and if you don't like to accentuate your waist,
then this is a perfect bag to carry around with. Bags that have straps, long or short, are
quite straightforward. You would lay it over your shoulder or on your forearm, and always on
your left hand. But with bags that don't have any straps like this one here, people often refer
to this as a clutch. But in reality, a clutch could have a strap as well, and they could be
worn to an evening party, a wedding party, or a birthday party. And they're more formal than the
other textiles of bank. The way you would carry a bag that doesn't have straps, um, like this one is
you could hold with both of your hands like this, but if you have to make a choice when you're
transferring to one of your hands, always opt for left hand because in that way your right hand will
be free to handshake someone, to wave at someone, to greet someone. So you could hold it in your
left hand like this either exposing your manicure so the outsiders could see your nails or you could
gently wrap your hand around your clutch like this so almost like you're hiding your nails. Both
ways are acceptable. You would never ever put your clutch underneath your armpit like that. It's
not hygienic but also it doesn't look good on you. From all these different types
of bags that I have shown you, if you had to choose three types, I
would suggest you go for a tote bag, a shopping bag that you can use for running
around for errands with kids, um, another, the second bag would be a shoulder bag, something
that you could wear for business meeting, for work, for even some casual dining places, and
the third one would be a clutch. I would suggest you choose something more versatile and they could
be used during the evening and during daytime, and those three would make it just enough
for you to be ready for any occasion. When choosing a bag, your complexion, your height
plays a huge role, so if you are small, if you are medium height, or you have a bigger complexion,
opt for smaller bag or medium sized bag. If you are, however, tall and you have a slender figure,
then you can opt for larger and more bulkier bags. Now that I've told you how to wear your bag, I
also want to tell you about where to place it. If you're going to a restaurant and there is a chair
that is empty next to you, you can place your bag over there. Alternatively, some fine dining
venues will offer you a hook or a specifically little chair designed to hold your bag. In casual
dining places that's not an option and oftentimes the chairs are too small to accommodate just
enough you and in that case you can put your back on the floor but when you do so put it underneath
your chair so it's out of sight and out of reach of the outsiders but also not on the way of
the waiter especially when he's serving you. As I promised you, I am gonna show you the
favorite designer bag of the queen and tell you a little bit about how she uses the bag to
communicate to her aides about how she feels. So this is a Loewe designer bag, it comes in
different sizes and different colors and queen uses her bag to tell to her aides how she feels by
transferring the bag from one forearm to another thus indicating that she's tired of
having a conversation with that person. She also places the bag on a dinner table whenever
she wants to leave the dinner. This is something that goes against the dining etiquette because
you're not meant to put the bag on a table but she breaks this rule intentionally in order
to indicate that she's tired and wants to leave. The way she carries it is she puts it on her
forearm on the left hand, thus leaving her right hand open and available for a wave or handshake,
or formal greeting. So if you google her images you will see that she's holding this bag on a left
arm on her forearm like this. Another element of a queen's wardrobe essentials is that her bag
always matches her shoes. You might also wonder what she carries in her small bag. In fact,
she carries a little bag hook, the one that you're offered in some formal dining places to
hook her bag on the table when she's dining. Etiquette is not only about what kind of bag
to wear and how to hold it, but it's also a lot about hygiene. A beautiful bag that
is unclean or disorganized will leave a poor impression of you. When people meet you for
the first time, they judge you by your clothing, and they understand your style and manners
by looking at what you wear and hold. So make sure you keep your look proper, clean,
and tidy, and that includes your bag as well. First things first, if you want your bag to look
organized, make sure that you zip it or keep it closed when you're not using it. That gives a
more definite and organized look to your bag. A special trick that I'm using to keep my bag
organized and clean is using a lot of Ziploc bags. I fill each Ziploc bag with different items,
and they make sure that I don't get any spills in my bag. It's also very easy when you're
transferring your items from one bag to another; all you need to do is pick up a Ziploc
bag and transfer it to a different bag. For items that I don't want others to see when
I'm looking through my bag or transferring things, I use oftentimes dust bags from other smaller
bags or even sometimes sunglass dust bags, and I fill them with items that I don't want
outsiders to see. They also keep my bag clean and organized, and it's easy to transfer items
from one bag to another. When I store my bags in a wardrobe, I make sure to take out all
the Ziploc bags and whatever is inside my bag, and then I take a dust bag that is given with the
bag and fill it with a lot of extra paper or other dust bags. Then I just close it and put it inside
my bag. This makes sure that I have my bag in a very good form and shape. I zip it up like this,
and it looks organized and clean in my wardrobe. When traveling, I usually roll my T-shirts
or my socks into a little form like this, and then I fill those T-shirts inside my bag so
they help me keep the shape of my bag defined and rigid. Then I place my
bag in a little dust bag like this, close it, and put it inside my
luggage like this. Also, when traveling, sometimes when I have a delicate bag and
I don't want to put it inside the luggage, I put it inside another big bag that I'm
carrying and carry them together like this. Finally, the most intriguing part of this video
is what's inside my bag. I would like to first say that I love this bag because it's very
comfortable to travel with. It's great for work, for casual lunch dates, or even to carry
in the evening. Despite its small size, it's very spacious, and you'll see
that it carries a lot of things. First, as I already said, I have my sanitary items
in it. Because these are personal, I will not reveal what's inside. But this is great to hide
all your personal items in it. I have my favorite Ziploc bag where I carry all of my personal
items for keeping my hands and my face clean. So this is a little comb. It's very small, but
it's so good. I have face and eye wipes, my all-time favorite hand cream, a little hair clip, and a hand sanitizer.
Actually, I've always been into hand sanitizers, and I sanitize my hand quite often, also because
I have kids, and I sanitize their hands as well. I have chewing gums with me all the time, a little essential oil that's eucalyptus, and a
face mask and gloves that I carry around with me. I have a special Ziploc bag for items that are
called stationery, so I have my headphones in it, my pen, and my little rose quartz
crystal that helps me feel grounded, and I just carry it in my hands
whenever I feel anxious or stressed. I have my sunglasses, and if I'm not using this sunglass pouch, I
use it for some sanitary items. So I reuse the sunglasses dust bag, and it's small and
good when you're taking a small bag with you. Instead of carrying a large dust bag like this
one, you can opt for a smaller one like this. Finally, I always have a notebook with me where I
jot down all my notes or all my thoughts and ideas that I have throughout the day. It's good also
for doodling, which I love doing when I'm free on the road or talking to someone. I use this
notebook for that, and I always carry it with me, but I carry it in a little sock like this in order
to keep it clean and nice. The reason I carry my book around is that I always meet new people,
and it's a great way to start a relationship. I give my book as a gift, and then we start
having a conversation, and I make new friends. Thank you so much for watching
this video until the end. Please don't forget to leave a comment, like,
and subscribe to my video channel. Bye bye!
